(InternetOfBusiness) Consumer devices for virtual reality may have led the way so far – but augmented reality headsets for businesses are likely to represent a bigger money-spinner over time, according to recent research from IDC.
Augmented reality (AR), meanwhile, remains somewhat overshadowed by VR – not because it’s less important, IDC argues, but because compelling AR experiences are technologically harder to achieve. The firm’s analysts reckon that VR headsets will continue to lead in terms of volume throughout the forecast (that is, between now and 2021), but that overall, AR will have a much bigger impact.
IDC believes that businesses will ultimately exploit the headsets’ potential. Already, companies in healthcare, manufacturing, field service workers and design are investing and piloting AR, IDC reports. They’re using a wide range of hardware, some of which is commercially available, but much of which is manufactured by companies that IDC calls “non-household names.”